Community Recipe
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Classic Pork Chop Menu

• Roasted Butternut Squash Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange 4 cups (1/2-inch) diced butternut squash in a single layer on pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Coat squash with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes; turn with a spatula. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until squash is soft and begins to brown.

• Steamed green beans

GAME PLAN

Total time: 10 minutes

1. Brine pork chops overnight.

2. While oven preheats:
• Dice squash.

3. While squash roasts:
• Cook pork chops.
• Steam green beans.

Date: Oct 2004

Buttermilk-Brined Pork Chops

Though these pork chops require overnight brining, they make dinner the next night a breeze. Brine these chops up to two days beforehand. Just remove from brine after an overnight soak, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Photo by: Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke

Ingredients

2 cups fat-free buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; shake well to dissolve salt and sugar. Add pork; seal and refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Pat pork dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle pork with pepper.

Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Cooking Light OCTOBER 2004